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Pretoria - Mamelodi minibus taxi operators have accused government of going back on its word and taking a stance against them after dozens of taxis were impounded on Monday morning.

Officers working under Operation Fiela conducted a roadblock in the violence struck township in a bid to bring stability after days of clashes. The officers removed taxis from the road while Autopax buses operated smoothly.

The Mamelodi Long and Local Taxi Association's Stemer Monageng said they were surprised to see taxis being pulled off the road. Taxi operators were left fuming as they claimed government had acted inappropriately.

"They [taxi operators] have every right to be angry. What happened this morning is not what we agreed upon last night with officials. We had a fruitful meeting but before we could report to members they came and impounded cars," said Monageng.

He accused government of fuelling the situation and said the decision to impound vehicles was a bad call.

Monageng said the move would complicate matters when they report back to members.

Way forward

He said a way forward would be decided later on Monday.

"For now we will wait until the meeting and get a mandate from members. We don't decide for them but take instructions from them," he said.

Monageng declined to say what the association would do if members decided to take to the streets and stop buses from operating.

He said details would be communicated after the meeting.

Earlier in the morning, traffic on Tsamaya Road was brought to a halt when police conducted stop and search operations.

"Numerous taxis have been impounded, but the figures will be confirmed at a later stage as the operation is still ongoing," Tshwane metro police spokesperson Senior Superintendent Isaac Mahamba said.

Buses were running on all the routes, with each bus getting a metro police and Saps escort.

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